This week in Golden

We are working hard on Uintah Ry. combine 50.

The Museum started the restoration a few years ago but work has languished for the last few years. We have started once again, this time however we will finish her. Their are other historic wood coach projects to do, but 50 needs to be finished before we can start them. The current plan is to have 50 finished for use on this years Polar express.

The majority of the work right now is focused on the underside of the car. When the car arrived at the museum it was bare underneath aside from truss rods. We have been making new brake cylinder and air res mounts. Once the brake cylinder and air res are mounted we will begin building new brake rigging, and plumbing. The 50 ran on a set of slightly modified DRGW 5'wb passenger trucks. The Museum built a new set a few years ago and with a few changes they will be ready to go. The most notable difference is the Uintah used a set of journal boxes with McCord flip up lids.(They may have come off of Uintah combine #1.) We have to machine the pedestals to accept the other style boxes.

The biggest challenge we have is fabricating home made extension side bearing bolsters from scratch. After studying a picture from the Denver Public Library we realized the Atchee Shops made their own extension side bearing bolsters with used rail. We are replicating this design as close as possible to be as authentic as possible rather than just use a set of D&RGW bolsters. We have already started building them using steel channel for the master bolster. The next step is bending the rails that extend out to the sides of the car. This will take some time so stay tuned for more updates on this portion of the project. Once the bolsters are complete, and the pedestals and boxes are changed we can set the car on a pair of passenger trucks for the first time in 70+ years. At that point we will begin building new draft gear for the car. Thankfully when Atchee shortened the car they added steel reinforcement to the car and we are designing our draft gear to tie into this steel. The 50 still has Pullman style center plates on the body bolsters. Again rather than replace these with a D&RGW center plates we had CAD drawings made using the original plans as a guide. Then we had two new truck center plates made.

On the interior of the car headway was previously made by replacing the flooring, and the aging plywood roof paneling. Yes it had plywood paneling, this dates back to the 1934 remodel of the interior. Also the baggage compartment cleaned up and repainted and new baggage doors made. We have been working to save all the interior doors. These doors date back to when this car was a Pullman sleeper.
50 was unique in that she kept her lower Pullman berths. One seat frame survived and we are working to replicate this.

This car will be a unique addition to our roster of historic passenger equipment that the public will have a chance to ride in. When finished please come out to see and ride in our odd little Uintah combine.


Here is the car now in stall 4.


I forgot to mention that we have fabricated all the missing ironwork on the car. 4 stirrups and 4 handrails.


Another photo of new ironwork.


Here are the new truck center plates.


This is the type of journal box 50 will use.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2018 11:47PM by Jeff Taylor.